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Angela Carter

アンジェラ・カーター

Angela Carter

Aliases: Angela Olive Pearce / Angela Olive Stalker
Pen Names: Angela Carter（Name used for publication）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1940-05-07 （Eastbourne, England）
Died
1992-02-16 （London, England） age 51
Nationality
British
Languages
English, French, German
Residence History
Eastbourne (birthplace) → Tokyo (1969–1971, residency) → Clapham, London (final home)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Poet, Journalist, Translator, Scriptwriter
Active Years
1960-1992
Affiliations
University of Sheffield (writer-in-residence), Brown University (writer-in-residence), University of Adelaide (writer-in-residence), University of East Anglia (writer-in-residence)
Influenced By
Virginia Woolf, Classical fairy tales and folklore
Influenced
Kazuo Ishiguro (mentored in early career), Contemporary feminist writers, Neil Jordan (collaborated on film adaptation)

Education

University of Bristol
English literature
Country: United Kingdom
Studied English literature at the University of Bristol

Awards

James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1984
Work: Nights at the Circus
Organization: James Tait Black Memorial Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Somerset Maugham Award
1969
Organization: Society of Authors (awarding body)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Bloody Chamber

1979 Short story collection / fairy-tale rewritings

A collection of short stories that rewrites traditional fairy tales from perspectives that foreground desire, gender and power; widely read as feminist retellings.

FeminismDeconstruction of fairy talesDesireGender
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Company of Wolves (film adaptation of stories) / Neil Jordan (1984)
Translations
  • The Bloody Chamber (translated into multiple languages)

Nights at the Circus

1984 Novel / Magical realism

Set around a circus, the novel mixes reality and fantasy in an experimental narrative exploring embodiment, freedom and performance; critically acclaimed.

EmbodimentTheatre and performanceFreedom and transformation
Translations
  • Nights at the Circus (translated into multiple languages)

The Magic Toyshop

1967 Novel

A coming-of-age novel centering on a young woman, blending elements of the fantastical with family dynamics.

Coming of ageFamily dynamicsFantasy
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Magic Toyshop (film) / David Wheatley (1987)

Bibliography

  • Shadow Dance (1966)
  • The Magic Toyshop (1967)
  • Several Perceptions (1968)
  • The Bloody Chamber (1979)
  • Nights at the Circus (1984)
  • Wise Children (1991)

Adaptations

  • The Company of Wolves (1984 film)
  • The Magic Toyshop (1987 film)

Translations by Author

  • The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault (translation, 1977)

Translations of Works

  • Major works translated into multiple languages (including Japanese)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Mythic and allegorical narrationProse embedded with feminist critiqueMagical realism that mixes fantasy and reality
Recurring Motifs
Wolves / transformationDesire and the bodyTheatre / circus / music-hallRetellings of fairy tales

Health

  • Lung cancer
    1991–1992
    Developed lung cancer and died at home in 1992. The illness affected her late creative work.

Legacy

Angela Carter is regarded as a major late-20th-century British writer noted for feminist reworkings of fairy tales and a vivid imagistic imagination. Her work is highly regarded critically and has influenced writers and popular culture. Her papers are held by the British Library.

Museums

  • British Library (Angela Carter Papers) London, UK Opened in 2008

Archives

  • British Library archives (Angela Carter Papers)

In Popular Culture

  • The band Wolf Alice took its name from the short story 'Wolf-Alice'
  • A London street (Angela Carter Close) named in her honour

Quotes

  • “So, I suppose that what interests me is the way these fairy tales and folklore are methods of making sense of events and certain occurrences in a particular way.”
    Source: Interview with Helen Cagney (1985) (1985)

Trivia

  • An English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled in 2019 at her final home, 107 The Chase, Clapham.
  • The British Library acquired the Angela Carter Papers in 2008.
  • She used the proceeds of the 1969 Somerset Maugham Award to move to Tokyo; her time in Japan influenced later work.
  • The band name 'Wolf Alice' was inspired by her short story.